Acting President Secretary & Treasurer Elaine James Nick Bartle 74 Paynters Avenue 88 Weka Street Strandon Miramar New Plymouth 4312 Wellington 6022 Ph: (06) 769 9904 Ph: (04) 388 1958 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://sites.google.com/site/nzcornish/home N EWSLETTER L y t h e r - n o w o d h o w Val Moore 1943 – 2018 I would like to put on record how indebted The New Zealand Cornish Association is to Val. Her It is with great sadness that I have to report the lively character, especially over the years she death of National President, Val Moore. Val had was president, made the Christchurch branch lived with cancer for 30 years but the disease what it is today – vibrant and fun to be with. overtook her on the morning of Monday, 26 February and she passed Her influence also extended across away in Christchurch hospital. Val left the national body. She was vice her husband, Bruce, and two sons president for years and then took with their families which included over the national presidency in three grandchildren. 2015. She was our most fluent if not the only speaker of Kernewek. She A service to celebrate her life was held always made the effort to travel and on Thursday, 1 March at St. Pauls’ attend our national meetings or help Anglican Church where Val and her 8 organise them. She took a welcome family had been long-serving and active part in proceedings usually dedicated members of the adding a considerate or diplomatic 201 congregation. touch to her input. Actually born in Devon, Val trained as In 2000 Val was made a Bard of the a teacher and came to New Zealand as a young Cornish Gorsedh reflecting her commitment to E b r y l woman to take up a teaching position in Cornwall and the Cornish in New Zealand. She Christchurch. After meeting and marrying Bruce, took the bardic name of Scolares Godolghyn, they had two spells living in the UK the first and meaning pupil of Godolphin, a reference to / m i s longest was spent mainly in Roche in Cornwall Reverend Kenneth Schollar who was her Cornish where Val taught at the local school but Cornwall mentor and a past National President of the had been her adoptive ‘home’ long before that. Association. Val was a very active in the community, not only It’s a cliché to say she will leave a gap in the M e u r t h in the church and Cornish Association. She was Cornish community in New Zealand that will be also a member of the St Albans Community hard to fill but I don’t think that anyone could Choir which has been mentioned in many repots m i s take Val’s place and the Association will be the of the Christchurch Branch. In all three – poorer for it. organisations Val was known for her organising, 7 planning, baking, preserving and general Meur ras (thank you) Val, for everything you did 3 enthusiasm. for us. Powes yn kres (rest in peace). 4 – Henry Jenner Henry Jenner played a pivotal role in the revival One version is purely in Kernewek but the other A p r i l provides English subtitles. It includes a scene of / of the Cornish language and in the recognition of Cornwall as a Celtic nation. the 2017 bardic ceremony of the Gorsedh and features our own Heather Mitchell. In its latest newsletter MAGA Kevren, the Cornish Language Offce of Cornwall Council, Jenner was born in St Column in 1848 to Henry M a r c h announced the release of a new short film about Lascelles Jenner, curate to the rector of St the life of Henry Jenner. Two versions of the 16 Column Major. The Jenners were not Cornish minute film made by Charlie Fripp and John Gray and it was only his father’s posting in the church are available online at: that resulted in young Henry being born in Cornwall. A conversation around the dining http://www.dasserghikernewek.org.uk/jenner.html table one day is credited with versions of the language in such a sparking little Henry’s interest in the small population of scholars and Cornish language and Celtic culture speakers caused disagreement and in general. controversy delaying the progress of the revival. In more recent years, In 1871 he got a job in the a unified approach to Kernewek Department of Ancient Manuscripts developed with the advent of the in the British Museum where he Cornish Language Office. developed his interest in ancient languages. It gave him access to After over 40 years Jenner retired valuable manuscripts. While working from the National Library and, with as a Keeper of Manuscripts he his wife Kitty, returned to Hayle, her found, in 1877, a 41-line fragment of early home town. It was a busy retirement because in Cornish verse on the back of a charter dated 1912 Jenner was elected librarian to the Morrab 1340. Library in Penzance. He also became President of both the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society Throughout his life Jenner was active in the and of the Royal Institution of Cornwall. sphere of Celtic nations and languages. In 1903 he was made a bard of the Breton Gorsedd. In 1917 Jenner met D. Rhys Phillips and There have long been ties between Cornwall and together they worked towards the inaugural Brittany. That same year he meeting of a Cornish Gorsedh founded the first Cornish at Boscowen Un in 1928. language society, Cowethas Annual Before his death in 1934, he Kelto-Kernuak. $ubscription$ said, "The whole object of my In 1901 Cornwall made an It is now time for members life has been to inculcate into attempt to join the pan-Celtic to pay their subscriptions. Cornish people a sense of their Conference but the decision The membership year runs Cornishness. was postponed on the basis that from 1 April. “The reason why a Cornishman there was insufficient evidence If you are lucky enough to should learn Cornish, the of a Cornish language. Jenner be a member of our outward and audible sign of his made a second application in Christchurch or Taranaki separate nationality, is 1904 at a meeting of the Welsh Branches you should see sentimental, and not in the Gorsedd in Carnarvon with an your local treasurer. least practical, and if impassioned speech to show everything sentimental were that Kernewek was a living National members, you will banished from it, the world language. He even read out a notice that there is a would not be as pleasant a telegram in Cornish to prove his renewal form on the back place as it is.” point. His bid was successful of the address slip in your and Cornwall took its rightful envelope or attached to There is a link to New Zealand place with the other Celtic your e-mail. Please in the Jenner family. The countries such as Brittany, complete it and return it to career in the Anglican Church Wales, Ireland and Scotland. me with your sub of of Henry senior progressed to $10.00. Donations are the point that he was named In 1904, he published his always gratefully received the first Bishop of Dunedin in “Handbook of the Cornish too! 1866. Language” which provided the basis for a wider revival of the You can pay in cash or by The appointment was at the language. Jenner based his cheque or by direct deposit request of Bishop George version of Cornish on 'where it into our Kiwi Bank account Selwyn, Primate of New had left off'. His ideas on number Zealand and Jenner was spelling and pronunciation had consecrated in Canterbury 38-9003-0932058-02 been influenced by f Cornish as Cathedral with Andrew Suter, it was spoken by its last semi- Be sure to put your name in second bishop of Nelson. speakers in West Cornwall in the reference fields so I Bishop Jenner then carried out the 18th century. Dolly can identify who has paid. a fund-raising tour in England Pentreath of St. Ives was and his enthusiasm for Anglo- Thank you for your supposedly the last native Catholic ‘ritual’ became known continuing support and speaker. here. The General Synod in don’t miss any chances to New Zealand objected to Later the language revival sign up new members or to Jenner who was forced to favoured mediaeval Cornish. give a gift membership to a resign the see in 1871. The The complication of two friend or relative. affair became known as “The 2 Jenner Controversy” and formed a point in the manhole cover. This will provide access to the history of the church where the authority of The borehole ‘cellar’, a three-metre deep equipment Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury over chamber. the church in New Zealand came into question. Opening is planned for spring 2019. Cornish technology Temperatures are expected to be sustained at Goonhilly 35°C and will enable bathers to soak comfortably in spa-like conditions all year round The Earth with minimal energy costs and almost no Station, on the adverse environmental impact. Lizard peninsula first became Modelled on the Blue Lagoon Spa in Iceland, famous for there will be various spa packages to draw beaming images visitors to the town outside the summer season. of the moon landings to millions of television Already the company that operates the pool is viewers in the 1960s. In the 1980s it carried promoting it by saying “Why travel to Iceland, the Live Aid concert around the world.